Chapter Thirteen: The Beauty's Appointment

  As soon as the phone was connected, Xia Chuchu shouted on the other end: "What's wrong with you? You hung up before I even finished speaking. Are you that busy? I've already made a military order with our station director to convince you to participate in our program... Handsome guy, can you help me out? To show my sincerity, I'll invite you to have a big meal at the Furong Hotel, okay?"

  In the end, Xia Chuchu had already changed her tone to a pleading one.

  Ye Ming saw Xu Fei making an effort to wink at him from the side, indicating that he should agree. So, he hesitated and replied: "Okay, I'll come later. But, I have another friend who wants to come with me for dinner, is it possible?"

  "Okay, of course! Then I'll book a private room first. Don't stand me up, we'll meet at the hotel entrance at 5:30 sharp!"

  Ye Ming murmured an "uh-huh" and hung up the phone.

  Xu Fei looked at him with hope in her eyes and asked: "How is it? Is it settled?"

  "It's settled then. Coincidentally, she also said she'd take me to the Furong Hotel for a big meal, which aligns with your idea perfectly. Haha!"

  Xu Fei rubbed his palms excitedly and walked back and forth in front of the office, saying: "Xiao Ye, to be honest with you, this time inviting Xia Chuchu to dinner is an opportunity for me."

  Ye Meng looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked: "Director Xu, what do you mean by this?"

  "I told you before: when I was in my twenties and thirties, like you, I was a bit arrogant and didn't know how to balance relationships. Because the original provincial bureau head, Director Cai, appreciated me very much and took great care of me, so I became the deputy director of the Personnel Department before the age of thirty, and also served as the deputy director of the Linhai Municipal Bureau for two years."

  However, it was also because of Director Cai's support that I neglected to build a good relationship with other department leaders. At the time, Director Xia was the deputy director in charge of the Personnel Department, and seeing me focus solely on Director Cai, he had already become very dissatisfied with me. Later, when Director Cai was transferred to Min'an City as the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Director Xia took over as the new leader, and my days became difficult. As the saying goes, "one day a king, one day a minister", because I was Director Cai's trusted aide, Director Xia had always looked at me with disfavor. Therefore, in these few years, not only did I fail to get promoted, but instead, I was "washed by cold water - the more washed, the smaller" and became a deputy director of the Logistics Center with no real power. Alas, it's hard to predict the twists and turns of life!

  Ye Ming immediately understood: Xu Fei is now probably always looking for an opportunity to get along with Director Xia, but unfortunately has no good way in. And Xia Chuchu is Director Xia's only beloved daughter, as long as he finds a way to get close to her and lets her occasionally mention his name to her father, changing Director Xia's impression of him. Then, finding another opportunity to visit Director Xia at home, reporting his thoughts and showing his determination to follow him, it's very likely that he will immediately be freed from the predicament of having no hope for promotion...

  Thinking of this, Ye Ming couldn't help but sigh inwardly: This officialdom is really complicated; a simple dinner, an ordinary gathering, may become the turning point that changes a person's career and fate...

  Before leaving for the Furong Hotel, Xu Fei went home and changed into a very formal, dignified dark gray suit. He also went to a barber shop and had his slightly disheveled hair styled in a middle parting Western fashion.

  While blowing his hair, he strongly urged Ye Ming to go to a nearby branded menswear store to buy a better suit and wear it. He said that the clothes on him were wrinkled, if he went to the banquet like this, one would be looked down upon by the waiters at the Furong Hotel, and two would leave Xia Chuchu with an impression of being sloppy...

  Ye Ming was not very interested in attending the banquet and had no intention of leaving a good impression on Xia Chuchu, but under Xu Fei's repeated requests, he reluctantly spent over 1,000 yuan to buy a coffee-colored suit and changed into it, and was also forced by Xu Fei to style his hair in a way that suited his face shape.

  When they arrived at the entrance of Furong Hotel, Xia Chuchu, wearing a large pair of sunglasses, had already been waiting there for several minutes.

  "It's not obvious, but Xia Chu is still very dedicated! In order to complete the work task, she didn't hesitate to put down her pride and come here early to wait for me, this part-time worker, with a strong sense of responsibility!"

  As he walked closer to Xia Chuchu, Ye Ming smiled and whispered to Xue Fei.

  Because Ye Ming had changed into new clothes and his hairstyle was different, Xia Chuchu didn't recognize him at first and kept looking around for the "Xiao Ye" who wore a crumpled white shirt.

  "Miss Xia, sorry to keep you waiting!"

  Ye Ming walked up to her and said with a smile.

  Xia Chuchu was taken aback, taking a closer look at Ye Ming, who looked like a completely different person. After changing into a suit, he appeared even more handsome and elegant, with an air of refinement about him. She couldn't help but stare, her heart suddenly filled with an inexplicable feeling: this guy is just too handsome! While hosting the show, she had seen many good-looking boys before, but someone as handsome and extraordinary as Ye Ming was truly a rare find...

  After being stunned for a moment, Xia Chuchu came back to her senses, gathered her thoughts, and revealed a sweet smile to Ye Ming. She stretched out her hand and shook hands with him, saying excitedly: "You're here, that's great! Today I saw you wearing a suit and felt even more that you're the guest we've been looking for in our program. Come on, let's go up first and talk later."

  "Miss Xia, I've brought a friend over. He's the deputy director of the logistics center at the Provincial Local Taxation Bureau, surname Xu."

  Xu Fei didn't wait for him to finish introducing, and immediately walked a few steps forward with a big smile on his face, stretching out his palm to shake hands with Xia Chuchu while saying enthusiastically: "Chuchu, my loved ones and children are all your loyal fans, I also have great admiration for you. Today I heard my little brother say that you invited him to dinner, so I didn't hesitate to follow him and come along, the purpose is still to see your star host demeanor with my own eyes, and also to ask you to sign an autograph for me, to bring back to my daughter, she will definitely be very happy."

  Xu Fei's words were a mix of flattery and exaggeration, making Ye Ming's skin crawl. But thinking about it, this kind of phenomenon was all too common in the official circles, and Xu Fei was actually one of the better ones, so he let it go.

  Xia Chuchu heard that Xu Fei was from the Provincial Local Taxation Bureau, and she was stunned again. Her face clearly showed dissatisfaction: It turned out that her father had repeatedly warned her that if the person in charge of a department or a cadre from the provincial bureau came to get close to her, or invited her to dinner and gave her gifts, she must resolutely refuse. Moreover, she herself was also very disgusted with people from her father's department coming to find her to go through the back door, get close to her...

  However, considering that she had a favor to ask of Ye Ming today, after a momentary displeasure, she immediately returned to normal, retracted the smile on her face, and very calmly shook hands with Xu Fei before turning around and walking towards the hotel lobby.